The Indian capital city of Delhi has a long history, including a history as the capital of several

empires. The earliest architectural relics date back to the Maurya Period (c. 300 BC); since then,
the site has seen continuous settlement. In 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka
(273-236 BC) was discovered near Srinivaspuri, which is near Noida. Two sandstone pillars
inscribed with the edicts of Ashoka were brought to the city by Firuz Shah Tughluq in the 14th
century. The famous Iron pillar near the Qutub Minar was commissioned by the emperor Kumara
Gupta I of the Gupta dynasty (320-540) and transplanted to Delhi during the 10th century. Eight
major cities have been situated in the Delhi area. The first four cities were in the southern part of
present-day Delhi.
Early history
According to Indian folklore, Delhi was the site of the magnificent and opulent Indraprastha,
capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata, founded around 2500 BC. Hindu texts
state that the city of Delhi used to be referred to in Sanskrit as Hastinapur, which means
"elephant-city".
The name Delhi may be derived from the word 'Dhillika'illage called Indraprast existed in Delhi
until the beginning of the 19th century.